99RedSi
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi All -
I have a 10g tank with an algae problem. I've had the problem for awhile and it goes away when I leave the lights off ALL the time but then I can't enjoy it!
Nitrates: 10mg/l
The tank has been setup since Oct 2004 with 4 Pygmy Cories. I added 6 Panda Cories to max out the tank on Friday afternoon (last week). I then changed the digital timer on Sunday afternoon to turn the lights on from 9-4 every day. I also bought 2 Anacharis plants that day to help absorb the nutrients. They are currently floating on the surface and will remain that way as I do not want to plant them.
So it's day 2 with the changes and I'm getting brown "diatom" (is that correct?) algae in a somewhat significant amount (but I wouldn't call it "out of control" just yet). It's on the ornaments and on the walls of the glass.
I can't turn the lights down without affecting the plant. Does Anacharis need 8 hours of sunlight per day to maximize it's "nutrient sucking" behavior? If not, I can turn it down to the minimum. But I've done this before (when I didn't have the plant) and only turning the light off COMPLETELY causes the algae not to grow.
What should I do? I'm down to 3 pygmy cory's now.. should I just go out and buy a single Otto to keep it clean and live with it? I'd like to beat this stuff at its own game..
I have a 10g tank with an algae problem. I've had the problem for awhile and it goes away when I leave the lights off ALL the time but then I can't enjoy it!
Nitrates: 10mg/l
The tank has been setup since Oct 2004 with 4 Pygmy Cories. I added 6 Panda Cories to max out the tank on Friday afternoon (last week). I then changed the digital timer on Sunday afternoon to turn the lights on from 9-4 every day. I also bought 2 Anacharis plants that day to help absorb the nutrients. They are currently floating on the surface and will remain that way as I do not want to plant them.
So it's day 2 with the changes and I'm getting brown "diatom" (is that correct?) algae in a somewhat significant amount (but I wouldn't call it "out of control" just yet). It's on the ornaments and on the walls of the glass.
I can't turn the lights down without affecting the plant. Does Anacharis need 8 hours of sunlight per day to maximize it's "nutrient sucking" behavior? If not, I can turn it down to the minimum. But I've done this before (when I didn't have the plant) and only turning the light off COMPLETELY causes the algae not to grow.
What should I do? I'm down to 3 pygmy cory's now.. should I just go out and buy a single Otto to keep it clean and live with it? I'd like to beat this stuff at its own game..
